ACLU presses state police on whether drivers being profiled

Jan. 19, 2018

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — The American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan is pressing the Michigan State Police about whether racial profiling is a factor in traffic stops.

The ACLU says the request comes after complaints from drivers regarding possible profiling of black and Latino motorists along Interstate 94. Those stops involve the agency's Fifth District Hometown Security Team.

State police spokeswoman Shanon Banner says in a statement the agency plans to review demographic data it collects during traffic stops. Banner says stopping motorists without proper grounds, or using race as a factor, violates the department's code of conduct.

The ACLU looked at some stops in 2016 and 2017. Mark Fancher, staff attorney for the ACLU of Michigan, says in a statement that records it reviewed "raise concerns and warrant a thorough and complete investigation."